SINGAPORE – Rush-hour traffic slowed to a crawl in some parts of Singapore on Wednesday morning due to a number of highway and road incidents amid a heavy downpour.
Motorists travelling on the Central Expressway (CTE) towards Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) were caught in a snarl-up after a tree fell right outside a CTE tunnel in the Orchard Road area.
In photos circulating online, a tree had apparently fallen on a white Kia Sorento car and was blocking at least three lanes.
Another video of the incident shows at least 10 motorists waiting on the road in the rain.
The Land Transport Authority said on Twitter at 9.32am there was an accident in the CTE tunnel towards AYE before the Orchard Road exit, with congestion stretching till the Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 exit. It added that the CTE tunnel was closed before the Orchard Road exit.
All three lanes were closed after the tree fell. Lane 1 and Lane 2 reopened at about 10.30am, while Lane 3 reopened at about 4.30pm.
A tree also fell in Serangoon Road near the Tekka Market, according to a photo posted in a Facebook group on Wednesday.
Replying to queries, the National Parks Board (NParks) said it was alerted to two incidents of uprooted trees at about 9.30am, “during heavy rain with strong gusts of winds of up to 65kmh”.
A Senegal mahogany tree – which is fast-growing and can grow to more than 30m in height – on state land between Kramat Road and Cairnhill Circle fell on the CTE.
A candle nut tree – which typically has a large and wide-spreading crown – fell in Serangoon Road.
NParks added that there were no reported injuries in both incidents and the obstructions at both locations were cleared at about 10.30am.
According to the National Environment Agency’s Meteorological Service Singapore website, there was 36.4mm of rainfall in Newton since midnight, with more than 20mm of rainfall between 9am and 9.59am.
The weatherman on Monday said that the weather for the rest of July would be drier than it had been in the first half of the month, with warm conditions expected.
However, the Met Service added that short-duration thundery showers are expected between the late morning and afternoon over parts of the island on some days.
The weatherman also said below-average rainfall is expected for the rest of the month.
In a separate accident, 11 people were taken to hospital after an accident involving a lorry and a car along the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway towards Tampines Expressway before the Buangkok exit.
The police, who were alerted at about 7.45am, said 10 passengers – aged between 22 and 42 – from the lorry and a 23-year-old female passenger in the car were conscious when taken to hospital.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force, which was alerted at about 7.50am, said five people were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Changi General Hospital each, and one person was taken to Sengkang General Hospital.
A video of the accident circulating online shows an overturned Toyota lorry on the leftmost lane and a black car with a damaged bonnet. At least four ambulances, one police car and one fire engine are also spotted at the scene in the video.
Meanwhile, a photo circulating online shows the badly damaged bonnet of a black car in the rain.
Police investigations are ongoing.
